AceShowbiz - Durk Banks, known professionally as Lil Durk, will remain in custody without bail as his federal murder-for-hire trial is now scheduled for August 20, after a judge denied a motion by his three co-defendants to have separate trials.

The ruling means the Grammy-winning rapper and his co-defendants—Deandre Dontrell Wilson, Asa Houston, and David Brian Lindsey—will be tried together in a single proceeding. The trial was initially set for April but was postponed due to a scheduling conflict involving counsel for one of the co-defendants.

Lil Durk's defense attorneys, Drew Findling and Christy O'Connor, expressed readiness to proceed but noted the court continued the matter over their objection. The decision was officially handed down by U.S. District Court Judge Michael Fitzgerald.

In his ruling, Judge Fitzgerald emphasized the concept of judicial efficiency, highlighting that all four defendants were indicted for their alleged involvement in the same conspiracy. The judge pointed out that the majority of evidence would be admissible against each defendant, justifying their joint trial.

The judge acknowledged the potential for "spillover prejudice" from evidence that may solely pertain to Lil Durk, but stated that such issues could be mitigated with appropriate jury instructions. He concluded that while some evidence focuses exclusively on Lil Durk, it is neither so excessive nor so prejudicial as to prevent a fair judgment by the jury.

Judge Fitzgerald also noted that the motion to sever was significantly stronger before prosecutors abandoned their claim that a 2022 Chicago killing was part of a separate murder-for-hire scheme allegedly connected to Lil Durk. The rapper has denied all government allegations and contested the inclusion of some evidence.

The three co-defendants’ lawyers did not immediately provide comment on the ruling.

Lil Durk, who is 33 years old, has pleaded not guilty to charges that he used coded language to hire alleged hitmen to carry out an execution-style killing in Los Angeles on August 19, 2022. Federal prosecutors claim the intended target was Tyquian Terrel Bowman, known as Quando Rondo, whom Lil Durk allegedly blamed for the 2020 shooting death of Dayvon "King Von" Bennett, a close friend and protégé of the rapper.

According to prosecutors, the gunmen tracked Bowman to Los Angeles and ambushed him at a gas station near the Beverly Center, firing at least 18 rounds from several weapons, including a machine gun. Tragically, Bowman's cousin, Saviay'a Robinson, was killed during the attack while standing outside a black Escalade associated with Bowman.

Lil Durk was arrested in October 2024 and has remained in custody without bail since then.

During a hearing the previous week, Craig Harbaugh, attorney for co-defendant Deandre Dontrell Wilson, argued that the prosecution's narrative of ongoing violence had no direct connection to his client. Harbaugh highlighted that prosecutors referenced a 2021 alleged attempt by associates of Lil Durk's Only The Family crew to kill Bowman in Chicago, which he claimed was unrelated to Wilson.

In an earlier decision, the judge also permitted prosecutors to introduce Lil Durk's lyrics from his 2021 hit remix "Who Wants Smoke," asserting that they referenced tensions with Bowman. Harbaugh contended that the risk of "spillover" prejudice was significant and that jurors would struggle to compartmentalize the evidence appropriately, but the judge rejected this argument.

In a separate ruling issued the same day, Judge Fitzgerald denied Lil Durk's request for a more detailed charging document known as a bill of particulars. Lil Durk's legal team had argued that the indictment was unconstitutionally vague and that its shifting details, due to changing stories from government cooperators, could cause surprise at trial.

The defense sought more clarity regarding the timing, location, and circumstances surrounding the alleged bounty offer, as well as the assertion that the killing was carried out "at the direction of" Lil Durk. However, the judge ruled that the current indictment was sufficient for trial purposes.

As the August trial date approaches, Lil Durk and his co-defendants will prepare to face a jury for the serious charges stemming from the alleged murder-for-hire conspiracy believed to have culminated in the deadly ambush in Los Angeles in 2022.